The commercial success of various portable electronic devices has created a demand for aftermarket protective housings, which provide some impact protection. Of particular interest are thin wall protective housings that would enable the touch pad/screen function of certain electronic devices to appropriately function behind or under the thin housing.
Injection molded cases are currently made from thermoplastic elastomeric (TPE) material such as rubber or silicone, a solid thermoplastic such as polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), or a multi-shot combination of the two materials. However, TPE and PC/ABS materials do not meet the clear and low color requirements currently desired by the market because of their inherent opacity. Further, clear thermoplastics, such as acrylic, polystyrene, or clear ABS do not meet the impact/ductility requirement for these applications, which is 100% ductility at room temperature.
Based on the present day demand for clear, low color protective housings that have high impact properties and are thin walled, extremely high flow polycarbonate copolymer based materials are desired. These materials should provide high optical light transmission and clarity, low color, and 100% ductility at room temperature.